Animals of Africa – the Leopards…a highlight of our recent trip

Skip over next para if more interested in the animals eg. teachers, parents, children😉

Well it’s taken me a few weeks since we returned from Africa to get back to blogging as there have been family and friends to catch up with after our month away, spinal scans & other boring stuff to do before my surgeries (starting Wed in Sydney – on the train from Canberra to Sydney now). My guess is that, if anything like 7 years ago, I won’t be feeling like doing/eating much until next wkend🙁…not like me, particularly the eating! However, I know there are much worse things like our older sister’s awful struggle with melanoma last year…remember to slip slop slap everyone!…something that Los reminded the young ones to do…might be too late for us older folk who weren’t given the message when young but we can still do what we can now too. Hence this message 🙂

BACK TO THE LEOPARDS OF AMAZING AFRICA…

Such magnificent creatures, almost regal looking…and it’s said that “the Lion 🦁 is the King of the Jungle” – that might be debatable?? A fun topic for kids to research/debate too! Next weekend (if all goes well with op:) I’ll note down some fun facts that children (and some adults like me!) might enjoy 😊 Almost at Central Railway Station, Sydney so for now will post some of our best photos below:

Photo below: Only two vehicles (Toyota Landcruisers) were allowed at any animal sighting. The drive/guide used a radio device to contact others although they never do this for Rhino 🦏 sightings due to concerns that ruthless poachers might be able to gain information. Tragically, these criminals kill the endangered Rhino for their horns and sell it to other unscrupulous criminals (Kids…you might want to read up on how we can all help to protect Rhino). At Inyati and other Game Reserves they do an enormous amount of conservation work too.

In the photo below I don’t think they actually saw this leopard in the grass having a feed on a recent kill. At Inyati, and neighbouring private game reserves (all connected up with no boundary fences), they never feed the animals so the cycle of life is maintained as completely natural. This leopard stalked and caught his or her own dinner – unlike lions, they hunt alone. All the vehicles are open which might seem dangerous but it’s not at all – the animals don’t associate humans with food and they just see the large mass of the vehicle. It’s therefore important not to stand up! However, we did have a huge elephant come up to the vehicle and look at each one of us in the eye…gentle giants we’re told but it was a bit scary! More on other animals later…in Sydney now and I have medical appointments before my surgery Wed 26/7. Send positive vibes my way please😊

Photo above: here you can see how close the leopard is to the vehicle – as long as people remain sitting everyone is very safe.

Photo below:

Some African landscapes remind us of Australia – especially the inland areas of Australia, well just a few hundred km inland from coastal regions, as in Australia once you get to the centre, it’s more like red desert of the “outback”; we even saw what looked like eucalypt (gum) trees and had me curious about what plants the 2 countries have in common and whether some Australian plants originated from Africa…much like the human race? Questions to look up another day perhaps.